Fates: Fire & Blood
by Harvesting Season
Summary: A rushed journey to the capital during a harsh winter changes Corrin's fate forever more. AU
1. Chapter 1

Corrin pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders as he slowly rocked upon the back of his horse. He looked on with some curiosity as his breath condensed into an icy fog as this was his first journey in the harsh winds of winter. His trip was for the sake of visiting his sick father in the capital. When he received the news of his father's illness from his courtiers he rushed out with a handful of guards with the intention of arriving as quickly as possible. The winter was a hindrance, but it would not stop him from seeing his father.

"How much further until we reach the capital?" Corrin looked towards the cavalier riding an armored steed on his right.

"At the current pace we should reach the capital by evening my Prince," the cavalier looked towards his fellow men in arms that rode slightly behind the Prince.

The guardsmen slightly nudged their horses to move at a quicker pace, not wishing to be responsible for any potential delays. Their young Prince was a boy driven to reach his father and it would be their responsibility to get him safely to the capital. One of the guardsmen increased his pace to meet the Prince on his left side.

"My Prince, if you should permit it I would like to ride ahead to see if the path is clear."

"Ride as quickly as you can. I want to go faster, but if a tree has fallen we need to know," Corrin wished to drive his steed to it's very limits if it meant he could reach his father quicker. Unfortunately, he could not risk the speeds he envisioned in this weather. He was not familiar enough with riding in snow to risk the journey without a scout.

The guardsmen rode off without any hesitation as the boy Prince continued to frown in thought. Corrin did not plan the journey out as his regent Gunter had suggested and even left behind his more seasoned guardsmen in favor of those that could come with him as soon as possible. He did not heed the words of Gunter and was starting to regret it as he tried to remember his recent lesson on leading troops. He had just begun to be tutored by Gunter on being a commander for the sake of helping the kingdom, yet here he was commanding the band of his guardsmen at the young age of ten.

The journey continued forwards as the winter winds grew harsher. Corrin's face felt as it were being burned as the wind whipped around him. They would soon be entering the final stretch of forest, so he found it hard to control his urge to drive his mount even faster. He could barely make out snippets of conversations from the band behind him as he strained his ears.

"...Taking long?"

"Should have been back..."

"Damned cold..."

Corrin turned his head to his side to ask the closest guard how much longer until the capital would be in sight when he suddenly made out a figure in the nearby overgrowth.

"Who is-"

His question was interrupted as he felt himself suddenly flying from his saddle. His face scraped against the cold snow floor as he violently tumbled. Sounds of horses panicking and men screaming filled the winds as the trap was sprung. Corrin moved his neck slightly off the ground to see what had just happened. Blood blurred his vision as he saw men in white cloaks rush his downed guardsmen pinned underneath tripped horses.

One of the guardsmen grabbed for a dagger from his boot, but was only greeted with a blade meeting his side. Corrin watched on helplessly as he felt the cold creeping throughout his body. His vision began to dim as the massacre continued.

* * *

Crackling embers heralded Corrin's return to consciousness as he slowly began to grow aware once more. He remembered what had occurred, yet not what had taken place since. The sounds of fire was welcomed considering the unpleasant cold that would not leave him. There was no hesitation in his decision to open his eyes to see where he had ended up. His surroundings were dim except for a slowly burning fire pit in the corner of the dark room. The embers of light allowed him to see the cage he resided in and finally notice the binds around his hands.

"Damned brat is finally awake."

"Shame he didn't break his neck aye?"

Two white cloaked figures moved in front of the embers to look closer at him.

"First time I've gotten a good look at the freak's ears."

"Take a good look at them. They'll be going to the king tomorrow," one of the men chuckled.

Corrin shifted in the cage as he silently glared at the two men. His head pounded in pain as he wished the fire was closer to his prison to ease the cold. Soon the cold increased as a door was opened signalling the arrival of another cloaked man from the outside. Moonlight from the door had allowed Corrin to briefly see how tiny the wooden room was.

"Found nothin, but a stupid bird," the new arrival opened a small latch on the cage cell to push the bird in.

"He can eat it or starve. Not like he will be going home in a single piece anyways," one of the others shrugged at the new arrival.

Corrin brushed against the bird only to hear what sounded like a small whine of some sort. The three seemed to have lost interest in him as they disappeared into the corner with the embers. With some effort, he managed to sit up in the cramped cage. This new position allowed him to take a better look at the animal in his cell. Through the darkness, he was able to make out a blue coat of fur smeared in blood.

'This is no bird. These fiends are fools if they think I'll eat some living creature. My father will have their heads if Xander doesn't hear of this first,' Corrin lifted the animal into his lap to take a closer look.

The binds made his job more difficult, but Corrin was able to place the creature on his lap. He ran his hand through it's fur as he felt the matted hair caked in blood. It was soothing in a way to have something he could place his attention on while thinking of what he could possibly do.

* * *

"You lost, so you keep watch."

"Come on! Don't give me that shit, I was on watch last night."

"Both of you shut up! I'll keep first watch, but you two owe me when this thing is done and we get back to the tribe."

Corrin did not know how long he had been imprisoned, but it seemed that his jailers had finally decided to rest for the night. He did not miss the mention of a tribe, there were only a few he could think of from his lessons and even fewer of those could be found in Nohr. He was broken out of his thoughts when he felt the creature move in his lap. Without much thought, he placed his hand on the head of the creature and continued to pet it. A single yellow eye met his red.

 _ **Kin... You are kin.**_

An unfamiliar voice caused Corrin to pause as his eyes looked at the creature's sharp gaze.

"W-what? Is it you speaking to me?" he whispered to the creature with some hesitation.

 _ **Like me... Broken? Caged? He would not wish it.**_

Corrin's desperately reached for his head as the creature's sharp gaze grew painful. A dull throb grew into a thunderous pounding pain as the creature stirred even further.

 _ **Hurt... He would not wish it. He would not wish it. HE WOULD NOT WISH IT.**_

His forehead burned as he desperately scratched at his temples. His flailing in the cage alerted the cloaked guard to take a closer look.

"Aye, you sit still now or I'll make you sit."

The creature's eyes increased in intensity as the cloaked man spoke.

 _ **Simmering... Stirring... Hungry**_

It leaned it's head into Corrin's chest. The cold that invaded his body disappeared as a burning nothingness took its place. A black flame erupted from his chest as the creature snuggled closer to him. The flame hungrily spread around the two before rapidly expanding outwards. The watch guard panicked as he fell backwards in a rush away from the ever growing flames. He desperately reached for a tome hooked to his belt.

"Fimbulvetr!"

The ice met the black flames only to disappear as the flames hungrily sapped the magic into it's ever growing form. He only managed one last shout before the black flame fully engulfed him.

 _ **Lesser ones... We are the Divine Blood...**_

It burned. It burned. It burned.

He felt nothing as the creature nuzzled his neck. The flames burned out of control around him, yet did not burn him as he had expect it to. The flames felt like a gentle stream running down his limbs as they gently flicked against his skin. Corrin felt drawn to the creature in his arms, pulling it even closer into his grasp. As the building slowly collapsed around them.

 _ **Kin... We shall protect you forever more.**_

* * *

The forward scout had desperately ridden to the capital after returning down the path to find his dead brothers in arms. His panicked alert to the local guards had ensured a large force of wyvern riders to sally out under the command of the fourteen year old Princess Camilla. She had not taken the news of Corrin missing well and neither had her older brother. Xander's forces were slightly slower, but the seventeen year old crown Prince rode his horse to it's limits to reach the scene of the attack. The two royal children met at the scene of the attack only to discover the remains of the guards wearing their brother's coat of arms. Camilla stirred in silent anger as her fingers dug into her palms. Xander barked out orders to his men to spread out as he discovered the large abandoned rope in the brush.

It didn't take the wyvern scouts long to report a large burned clearing deeper within the woods. The two royals headed immediately to the location only to be met with an unexpected sight.

"What happened here...?" Camilla felt a loss of breath as she viewed the singed ruins of what seemed to once be a building of some form.

Xander studied the ruins for a few seconds before hurriedly speaking, "Somethings moving in there."

He rushed forwards with Camilla quickly following him. The two reached a pile of rubble before they heard a soft muffled voice.

"Y-you came..."

Camilla's breath hitched as she shouted, "Corrin is in there!"

Both of them clawed at the collapsed rubble of the building before they were greeted with their little brother covered in ashes. Unexpectedly, he was not the only person in the rubble as the two saw a little girl with golden eyes and long blue hair covered in ash holding him with desperation as she wearily watched the two.


	2. Chapter 2

It was so very comfortable to freely float among the aether of the black sea. Corrin happily leaned back dipping his neck further into the ooze as he looked towards the hazy purple sky. His relaxing back float rhythmically parted the ooze of the everlasting ocean. The comfort was not meant to last as the sky crumbled into a blinding beacon of yellow.

 _ **Awaken.**_

 _ **The lesser ones stand vigil dearest kin.**_

 _ **You must not rest just yet.**_

Corrin slowly opened his eyes as he fought the grogginess that threatened to overwhelm him. Every part of his body ached as he yearned to be taken back into the realms of darkness. He noticed that blankets were draped carefully upon him as he leaned further into his pillow. It was his wish to do nothing more than close his eyes once again to make the exhaustion go away. A warmth emanating from his hand broke him out of his stupor. With some effort, he turned his neck to look towards his hand only to notice that his hand was wrapped in the grasp of another.

Bright yellow eyes met his gaze as Corrin took a sharp breath. Those were the eyes of the creature, yet the being holding his hand was entirely too human to be that animal back in the cage. He felt the girl squeeze his hand as she noticed his gaze. The two silently continued to gaze at one another while they both kept their heads on the pillow. The silence was only broken when a voice echoed in Corrin's head.

 _ **The lesser ones delivered us to their nest dearest kin.**_

 _ **They tried to have me removed from your presence. I refused.**_

 _ **Lesser ones await you outside this chamber.**_

Corrin blinked in confusion as he gazed at the girl, "Is that you whispering to me? How is your voice in my head?"

The girl's neutral expression slowly fell into a frown before she truly began to whisper.

 _"We are Divinity, why use the words of man when we are beyond them? However, if you are more comfortable with the words of man I shall try my best to meet your requirements."_

Her voice was unlike any Corrin had ever heard. He could only describe it as melodious as if her voice was more fitting to be produced from a harp. It caught him off guard enough that he paused before reflecting upon her words. His hesitation allowed him to better take in her appearance as he noted that she must be around his age. Peeking sunlight from the windows illuminated her blue hair and more notably a beautiful red gem in the center of her forehead partially masked by hair.

"Divinity? Man? What are you talking about?" Corrin's exhaustion didn't help in attempting to decipher the words of the strange girl.

 _"You are kin. We are beyond the realms of man. Your blood sings does it not? It must_ _ **hunger**_ _ever so. The flames can never be quelled by so few."_

The tranquility of her melodious voice broke only so slightly at the mention of hunger. Something about the word resonated deeply with Corrin as the warmth from his clasped hand expanded further along his arm until it rested in his chest. There was an emptiness in his chest that the warmth illuminated only briefly before a cold flame smothered the warmth completely. The feeling startled Corrin as the violent chill of the flame suddenly disappeared.

 _"It is always there lying dormant. Do not fear it dearest kin. We are one with the flame just as the flame is one with us,"_ she smiled cheerfully at Corrin as he attempted to recover from the odd feeling.

"I- what is all of this? I just want to see my father. This feeling, I don't like it," his voice was tinged with desperate confusion.

 _"Do not-"_ she interrupted herself mid sentence as Corrin suddenly felt her whisper in his head again.

 _ **The lesser ones finally dare to approach. They will wish to question you my kin. Speak of nothing, beasts fear what they cannot understand.**_

* * *

Leo approached the door to the room that contained his injured older brother. He held a book in one hand and clasped the hand of his youngest sister in the other. It had been a few hours since his older siblings arrived in a panic with his brother and a strange girl in tow. They did not look well when he caught a glimpse of them, thankfully healers were quickly able to look over his brother. Camilla had personally assured him that Corrin would recover from what had happened, but Leo needed to see it for himself and Elise happened to tag along with him.

His older siblings had wanted him to stay away from Corrin until he was further rested, but Leo could not simply leave the fact that his brother was in the capital alone. It was not often that his entire family was here at the same time as each of his siblings were responsible for holding sovereignty of their own lands. The last time he had seen Corrin was the previous year when Elise had turned five years of age. Now she was six years old and he was eight while Corrin had already turned ten. Leo needed to see how much his brother had grown over the course of the year in comparison with himself and inform him of father's condition. Elise had come along as she would not leave his side when she had seen him sneaking towards this wing of the castle, especially when she heard that Corrin had a friend with him.

The guard to Corrin's room saluted Leo with the bang of his gauntlet against his body plate. Leo nodded at the man before his eyes slowly trailed off towards the door.

"Is my brother awake?"

"I believe so my Prince. I have heard him speaking in his room. Do you wish me to alert Prince Xander or Princess Camilla of his status?"

Leo shook his head in denial, "No need, Elise and I will see him ourselves."

The guard hesitated before nervously speaking, "Do you believe that wise my Prince? Princess Camilla wished him to rest for the remainder of the day. The previous day was not kind to him."

"I will see my brother. Move, now," Leo was irritated at the fact the guard did not take him seriously. He held just as much authority as his older siblings did, so there was no reason that the guard should keep him from seeing Corrin.

After a few silent moments, the guard shifted to the side to make way for the two royal children. Leo glared silently at the man as he pushed the door to Corrin's chambers open. The first thing he spotted was the tired face of his brother followed by the strange appearance of his friend. Elise broke away from his grasp as she excitedly rushed towards the two and threw herself upon the bed to hug her brother.

"Corrin! I missed you so much. Leo did too!" Elise smiled brightly as she looked at her haggard brother.

Corrin let out a groan before speaking as Elise leaned into his aching chest, "You got bigger, so did you Leo," his eyes shifted between the two while his companion remained silent next to him.

Leo approached the bedside as he studied his brother and the guest with him, "How are you feeling? Camilla told me the healers didn't need to do much."

"Tired. Very tired. How's father Leo? I came as soon as the message arrived," Corrin's voice was laced with concern.

Leo's face remained neutral as he tried to think of how Camilla would word the news, "He is sick brother. As soon as you feel better you can see him. I will take you myself if it makes you feel better. Just be ready okay?"

Elise nodded her head into Corrin's shoulder, "Mhm, sister said father needed to rest too," she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at the other girl in the room.

"Are you Corrin's friend? I want to be your friend too!" she smiled at the blue haired girl.

 _"..."_

Leo's face fell slightly at the fact the guest ignored his sister. He immediately glared at her before turning his attention towards Corrin again, "Will you introduce your friend brother?"

"Ah, this is... well-"

Leo noted that his brother seemed to hesitate. It was odd and he could not decide the reason for it. His thoughts were broken when the guest spoke.

 _"Lilith"_

"Lilith? Did she recently join your court? I don't remember her the last time you traveled out here. You never mentioned her," Leo's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to recall of any news of a Lilith within the nobility. The name was unique enough that he figured she would have been mentioned by Elise or Camilla at some point.

Corrin scratched at his cheek as he sheepishly replied, "Ah, I forgot to mention Lilith didn't I? She only recently came to my court as her parents have passed away."

Leo looked at his brother carefully before nodding slowly, "I see, father might be upset that you didn't send word of your court expanding. You know how he gets with our reports."

Corrin's face paled considerably, " I won't make that mistake again, so can we please not mention it to father when I go to see him?"

Leo smiled slightly as he tilted his glance towards Elise, "I don't know. Do you think we should stay quiet Elise?"

Elise hummed in thought before her smile widened, "Only if Corrin gives us his dessert at dinner!"

"Done, thank you both," Corrin let out a breath of relief as he laid his head back down on the pillow.

"Bored of us already brother? Well we can let you get a few more hours rest if you need it. Come on Elise," Leo gently grabbed her shoulder as he led her towards the door while she waived goodbye to the two.

As Leo stepped outside the room with Elise in tow, he turned towards the door guard, "Keep an eye on that guest."

Elise turned towards Leo in confusion, "What's wrong with brother's friend? She had nice hair."

Leo shook his head, "I don't like her. She seems weird Elise, stay away from her."

Elise pouted at Leo, "I wanted to play with her. No one ever wants to play."

Leo sighed as he reached up and patted her head, "I'll play with you for a little while, but first we need to talk with Camilla."

* * *

As the door shut behind Leo, Corrin turned towards the girl that he now knew to be named Lilith. He attempted to read her expression, but was not able to read beyond her neutral demeanor.

"Lilith? That is your name? You called my siblings lesser ones, why?" he did not forget her comments before their arrival and the fact that she seemed to ignore them bothered him.

She tilted her head slightly before speaking, _"Lilith is my name. Those creatures have blood contaminated by the taint of man, blood beyond redemption. They barely qualify for being greater than man since their blood still contains traces of divinity."_

Corrin rubbed at his forehead with confusion, "Hold on, what does that even mean? Blood is blood and they are my siblings. Why are they lesser compared to me?"

Lilith's expression shifted into anger as her melodious voice gave way for a tone of chilling rage, **"They lie. Their tainted blood can not be compared to our own dearest kin. They are not one of us. They have lied to you. Your true heritage makes itself already known."**

The rage suddenly disappeared as if it never occurred, _"Dearest kin, your ears are the sign of your heritage. As is the blessed flame that calls at your beckon. Do any of the lesser ones carry such a gift? Think carefully."_

Corrin fell into silent reflection as he slowly reached up to feel the tips of his ears, "A gift... That is the first time someone has called my ears a gift. Lilith, I really don't want to believe you. Yet, your words ring true. I can't believe I am even thinking of this. My siblings not actually being my siblings? Why would that be? What am I missing?"

She smiled brightly at Corrin as she reached for his ears. She ran her hands down the side of them before speaking, _"Insight is what you need my kin. There is so much you have not been told. Your fate is much greater than remaining the third in line for a failing throne. I shall help you realize your true heritage. Rest your head. I shall stand vigil until you awaken once more. Embrace the Aether Seas."_

Corrin was overwhelmed with sudden exhaustion. He couldn't stop his eyes from beginning to close. With one last struggled attempt at keeping his eyes open, he was met with a piercing yellow gaze that forced his eyes closed as the abyss of sleep claimed him.

 _ **May the Aether Seas guide you towards the insight you will need dearest brother. I shall be awaiting your return. No one shall lay a hand on you while I stand vigil. I will not lose kin ever again.**_


	3. Chapter 3

His eyes fluttered open as he felt the gentle rocking of the seas. The gentle purple hues of the sunless sky met his gaze as a serene comfort filled his being. His soul rejoiced as the cold void receded as the flames hummed happily. Corrin laid still on the drifting raft as he took in the motions of the sea. He could have remained there motionlessly taking in the comfort of the realm, yet something stirred within the seas.

An endless chorus of voices rumbled under the murky ooze of the aether sea. He could not stop himself from peeking over the edge of his raft to look down into the depths towards those calling for him. Innumerous glowing eyes of all colors beckoned him from beneath the sea.

 _Child_

 **KiNsMaN**

.

 ** _Ẇ̷̡̧͔̜̜̰͓̘͉̽͌́͒é̠̠̭͈̲̖̔̍͋̅͜͟͝ a̴̻̲̬͇̺̓̈̂͐̔̅̄̇̚͞w̴̢̘̤̠͚̳̤̳̺͕̽̽͐̓̈́͘a̢̨̖̙͎͚̙͚̽̓͌̏́̋̐́į̯̰̩̪̲̭̍͂̎̐̔̊̾t̵̤̤̤̱̯̹̙̍̏̔̒̊͟ ŷ̵̨̻̥̬̬̖̱̭̅̾̇̄̾͘ȏ̡̝̪̫͙̔̇̅̀̅̏͊͠ŭ̸̡̮̭̗̦̪̮̭̹̑̽̀̒̓̕͢_**

.

He could not resist the call of his own. Corrin beamed as he realized that he was truly needed, truly wanted here. There would be no whispering of courtiers here. No sly glances at his ears when they thought that he was not paying attention. These people needed him just as much as he needed them. His true family awaited him and all he had to do was embrace them.

.

 _C̤͉͈̲͙̫̈́̅̐̍̒̀̀͋̂̎o̴̧͖̯͚͙̖͒̊͐̈́̾̍̿͝m̥͎̹̗̍͊́̀͟͡ȩ̶̖͎̫͗͐̉̄́͜_

Corrin leaned further off the raft and placed his head into the waters. It was beautiful, a sight he could have never dreamed of seeing as it resided in realms beyond understanding. The abyssal ooze contained arrays of countless colors he had no way of describing. Paradise, that was truly what he felt it must be. A chorus of whispers welcomed him home as something quickly approaching his position from the deep seas. The arrays of unknown color parted in beautiful streaks of light illuminating the ooze as an invisible force headed towards him. It had nearly reached him before Corrin found himself suddenly pulled out of the sea.

"You can't!"

"Don't listen! Plug your ears!"

"Please... I can't lose you again."

Three desperate whispers brushed his mind as a dark silhouette of a person pulled him desperately onto the center of the raft. The shadow brushed a tendril of smoke against his face before it violently dispersed under the pressure of a blinding yellow light.

 **Interloper. You do not belong here. Begone.**

* * *

Her watchful eyes never left her sleeping brother. He was her family, something she was not quite used to thinking of yet. Their meeting could only be surmised as fate considering that without him being there to share the heat of the flame she would have perished. She had been foolish and had taken action much too soon resulting in her severe injury. Lilith looked fondly at her brother, between the two of them they could realize father's dream.

Her heart lept in joy when she saw the serene smile on his face. This was only his second time within the Aether Seas, yet he seemed to have already bonded with the realm.

 _'May you find the answers you seek. They shall guide you as they have guided me.'_

She watched as that very same smile suddenly disappeared, immediately alerting her that something was amiss. Lilith did not hesitate as she grabbed her brother's hand to discover what had occurred. Her flame reached out towards his causing the two endlessly burning flames to meet in a chaotic dance. She reached out towards the endless seas and was met with her greatest fear.

* * *

Leo knocked on Camilla's door as he patiently awaited with Elise in tow. Something about his brother's guest had bothered him greatly. He had to hear his sister's opinion on the matter. After a few moments, the door slightly opened showing his very tired older sister. Her hair was a mess while her eyes held the sign of ever creeping fatigue. Leo was about to ask if she was feeling well, but Elise interrupted his train of thoughts as she ran forwards to hug Camilla.

"Camilla! Leo said he would play with me, so you have to too."

Camilla smiled slightly at Elise, "Of course Elise, why don't you two come in?"

Leo followed the excited Elise who remained close to Camilla. He waited for the door to close and the two to take a seat before addressing his first concern.

"Camilla, did you get any sleep?" Leo did not want another family member to end up bed ridden.

Her smile was strained as she spoke, "No, I was too worried about Corrin and father. Too much is happening all at once."

Elise spoke before he could, "That's not good. Everyone needs to sleep."

Camilla nodded at her words, "You're right Elise, sleep is very important to grow up to be strong. That's why you need your sleep and I don't."

Elise nodded at her words before suddenly realizing what had been said. She immediately began to pout at the comment of her sister. Leo took the opportunity to speak up.

"I decided to visit Corrin with Elise. I know you said he needed his rest, but I needed to see him for myself."

Camilla sighed as she ran her hand through Elise's hair, "I would have done the same at your age. How did he look to you Leo? I want to hear your thoughts."

Leo hesitated before answering, "He was awake, but something felt weird about him. Corrin was acting really odd and his guest was strange. I told Elise to stay away from her until we talked to you first."

Camilla's eyes widened, "Corrin is awake? Xander will need to speak with him as soon as possible. We still need to find the fiends that dared attack him. Corrin might still be recovering from his incident Leo, so don't be too tough on him. As for his guest, ignore her for now. She went through the same mess as Corrin and refused to leave his side when Xander and I tried to question her on what happened."

"She said her name was Lilith and Corrin mentioned that he took her into his court when her parents died recently," Leo had only promised to not tell father about the new courtier.

"Lilith? I can't say I remember any noble children bearing that name. Maybe she is a bastard? I'll ask Corrin myself later. Don't worry, I'll let you know what I find out, lest you die of curiosity."

Leo quickly approached Camilla and gave her a brief hug, "Thank you, I was really worried about him. I'll help out in anyway I can."

Elise yelled in protest, "Hey! You said we would play."

Camilla laughed at Elise's childish outburst, "You heard her Leo. You can help me by playing with Elise for a little while. Now, I will have to postpone our playtime for later Elise as I have to go look for Xander. You two be careful okay? We still haven't found out exactly what happened with Corrin."

* * *

Xander anxiously tapped his fingers against his desk at he signed another requisition form. Father's sudden illness has taken them all by surprise, but just because the king was resting did not mean the realm would wait patiently for his return to rulership. As the Crown Prince, he had to take his position as regent of the realm until his father was able once more. The pressure of regency did not bother him, however the politicking that came with it was not something he was completely prepared for. Corrin's attack happened at the moment of his father's weakness, something that was not yet common knowledge within the realm.

He placed his quill down once more as he tried to imagine just what happened. Someone within the castle had to have leaked the condition of his father to someone with a sickening amount of ambition. That individual had decided to move against the realm when his father would not be able to retaliate. Did they expect him to not retaliate as fiercely as his father? His fist closed hard at the thought.

'They dare expect me to not get justice for my brother? A grave mistake if so, one they will never be able to correct when I am through with them.'

A knock on his study door broke him out of his thoughts as he quickly called for the visitor to enter. He was happy to see his sister entering the study rather than another scribe with a pile of more forms.

"Camilla, has there been any updates with father or Corrin?" his attention turned fully towards her as the anxious tapping of his fingers stopped.

Camilla nodded slightly, "On my way here I was told father's condition has improved slightly. Some color has been restored to his cheeks."

Xander let out a sight of relief, "Wonderful news, I was worried last time I saw him."

Camilla's expression dropped at his words as she nervously rubbed her arms, "It's not something I think I will be able to forget. He looked so small Xander! Father lost so much weight with his sickness. The healer told me he wished to discuss something with us next time we visit him."

Xander sadly nodded at Camilla as he stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, "We will go together to see him as soon as possible. You need to stay strong sister, father would not want our pity. This is not something we will ever forget, but he will want us to let it go."

She sadly nodded before a small smile crossed her face, "Leo snuck into Corrin's room with little Elise. They came to tell me he was awake when they visited him, but they too were shunned by his guest."

"I knew Leo would not be able to help himself. Those two are as close as you and I were when we were growing up. Maybe a little more competitive than we were though," Xander laughed.

"As for the girl with him, they both went through something traumatic. There is no harm in letting the two remain as they are until they fully recover. We don't know what they may have went though Camilla. It makes me feel so powerless..." Xander began to lower his voice into a whisper.

"This whole situation reminds me of when we lost our sister to father's ambition. We may have gained a brother, but I will never forget who awaits us in Hoshido."

Camilla's expression hardened, "She would be Corrin's age right now. She left us at only four years of age as Corrin joined our household. You think this was a similar attempt to take Corrin?"

"I do, the timing is too convenient for it to have been a random attack. Father's sickness is not known beyond this castle and the letters sent to our siblings. Someone here leaked the news that father was sick and Corrin would be on the move."

Her expression morphed into barely concealed rage, "Someone put him at risk. Someone nearly costed us Corrin. We need to know what he remembers. Once we find those responsible, I will personally drive my axe across their throats."

"Then let's find out what he can remember. My duties of the realm can await my duties to family," Xander led her from the study.


End file.
